Device for the thermic treatment of gases required to undergo a sudden rise and then an abrupt drop in temperature



Aug. 31, 1965 M. L. JENTET 3,203,190

DEVICE THE THERMIC TREA NT OF GASES UIRED T0 UNDERGO A S EN RISE AND THE? ABRUPT DROP TEMPERATURE File June 24, 1963 United States Patent 3,203,190 DEVICE FOR THE THERMIC TREATMENT OF GASES REQUIRED TO UNDERGO A SUDDEN RISE AND THEN AN ABRUPT DROP IN TEM- PERATURE Maxime Louis Jentet, Chatou, Seine-et-Oise, France, as-

signor to 'Societe Anouyme des Usines Chausson, Asnieres, Seine, France, a company of France Filed June 24, 1963, Ser. No. 289,908 Claims priority, application France, July 5, 1962, 903,104, Patent 1,335,126 Claims. (Cl. 62--5) For obtaining certain products and also for studying the behaviour of gases in particular utilization conditions, it is often necessary to subject these gases to a rapid rise of temperature, then an abrupt cooling, which must be separated by a time interval as short as possible, the cooling, in particular, requiring to be efiected in a very short time.

The invention relates to a static device making such thermic treatments possible, even when they must be put into operation for considerable quantities of gas, steams or fuel mixtures.

According to the invention, the device comprises a refrigerating cell, called vortical tube, whose work chamber communicates with ducts for evacuating hot or cold fractions, said cell being placed inside an annular distribution chamber extending around its periphery and said annular distribution chamber containing at least one heating element for the gases to be treated which are conveyed into this chamber in a direction appreciably tangent to its wall.

Various other characteristics of the invention will moreover be revealed by the detailed description which follows.

Forms of embodiment of the purpose of the invention are shown, by way of non-restricted examples, in the attached drawing.

FIG. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the device according to the invention for the thermic treatment of gases.

FIG. 2 is a section taken substantially along the line II-II of FIG. 1.

The device comprises a body 1, revolving, for example, which is closed on its lateral sides by side-plates 2, 3 forming ferrules 4, 5 for fixing piping 6, 7. The body '1 and side-plates that it comprises, internally confine an annular chamber 8 concentric to two axial ducts 9, 10 respectively communicating with the piping 6 and 7. These axial ducts, whose axes are aligned and whose openings are opposed, emerge in a space 11, separating cores 12 and 13 formed inside the body 1 for confining, with the latter, the annular chamber 8, and the space 11 acts as housing for the blading 14 (FIG. 2) of the cooling cell, called vortical tube, well known in itself, denoted as cell 14 in that which follows, and which confines at least one converging duct 15 causing the annular chamber 8 to connect with the central active chamber 16 of the cell, of which chamber at least certain parts with lateral walls are, as is known, of a general circumferential of spiral shape of the logarithmic type.

The axial ducts 9 and 10 obviously communicate with the active chamber 16 of the cell 14 and the axial duct 10 intended to evacuate cold gases, has an appreciably smaller opening than that of the axial duct 9 intended to evacuate hot gases.

In addition to the elements described above, the body 1 supports a connection 17 for conveying the gases for treatment, this connection emerging in an appreciably tangential manner inside the annular chamber 8.

This body 1, also contains a threaded bore 18 adjacent the opening of the connection 17, but extending perpendicularly in relation to the axis of the latter.

The bore 18 is intended to receive a spark plug 19 or other heating element for firing the gases conveyed by the connection 17.

As can be seen from the foregoing, the gases, which are conveyed under pressure, are subjected on entering the chamber 8 to a very sudden rise of temperature and this chamber 8 in which they are obliged to circulate, forms a distribution cavity for supplying the cell 14, across whose duct or ducts 15 said gases are obliged to pass to be subjected, inside the active chamber 16, to a thermic splitting, so that part of the gases emerging through the axial duct 10 is suddenly cooled, whereas the other part which is superheated, is evacuated through the axial duct 9.

The extent of the variation of temperature to which the gases are subjected in the cell 14 is regulated by altering the output speed of the hot gases, and to this end, the piping 6 is provided with a regulating chamber 20 in which there is a needle-valve 21 which can be axially displaced so as to make the regulating possible of the inlet section 22 of the expansion mufiier 20.

The invention is not restricted to the examples of embodiment shown and described in detail, for various modifications can be applied to it without going outside of its scope.

The nature of the materials utilized for producing the various parts of the device depends on the composition of the gases to be treated. It has nevertheless been noticed, according to the invention, that it was advantageous to provide elements forming a thermic screen between the parts of the device respectively traversed by making the cores 12, 13 at least of poor heat-conducting materials, these cores being able, moreover, to be pierced with ducts for the circulation of cooling fluids.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the thermic treatment and temperature fractionization of gases, comprising a body containing an annular chamber defining a central cylindrical core, said core containing intermediate its ends a cylindrical space transverse of the core axis for dividing said core into two axiallyspaced portions, said body containing also an inlet for introducing a gas tangentially into said annular chamber, and a pair of outlets arranged at the ends of said body, respectively, coaxially with respect to said annular chamber, each of said outlets being in communication at one end with the central portion of said cylindrical space;

vortical tube cooling cell means mounted coaxially in said cylindrical space, said cooling cell means containing a central active chamber in communication at each end with said outlets, respectively, and a plurality of generally radial ducts communicating at opposite ends with said annular chamber and said central active chamber, respectively, each of said ducts being of a generally spiral shape of the logarithmic type and converging in the direction of said central active chamber;

and a spark plug mounted in said body adjacent said inlet for heating the gas prior to its entry into the cooling cell ducts, whereby hot and cold fractions of the gas are evacuated from the body via said outlets, respectively.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said spark plug is arranged at right angles to the axis of the inlet to said annular chamber.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the orifices connecting the ends of said outlets with the cylindrical space are of unequal size, and further including means for regulating the flow of gas that is emitted from the body through the outlet having the larger orifice.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, and further wherein said housing-includes means defining a thermic screen in the path of gas flow between said inlet and said outlet.

5. Apparatus as defined in clairn4, wherein said means defining said thermic screen includes said axially-spaced core portions, said core portions being formed to have poor heat conducting properties.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,952,281 3/34 Ranque 62-5 2,650,582 9/53 Greene 62-5 X 5 2,758,914 8/56 King 62 s X 3,116,344 12/63 Deisler 625 X ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

10 CHARLES SUKALO, Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR THE THERMIC TREATMENT AND TEMPERATURE FRACTIONIZATION OF GASES, COMPRISING A BODY CONTAINING AN ANNULAR CHAMBBER DEFINING A CENTRAL CYLINDRICAL CORE, SAID CORE CONTAINING INTERMEDIATE ITS END A CYLINDRICAL SPACE TRANSVERSE OF THE CORE AXIS FOR DIVIDING SAID CORE INTO TWO AXIALLYSPACED PORTIONS, SAID BODY CONTAINING ALSO AN INLET FOR INTRODUCING A GAS TANGENNTIALLY INTO SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER,, AND A PAIR OF OUTLETS ARRANGED AT THE ENDS OF SAID BODY, RESPECTIVELY, COAXIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER, EACH OF SAID OUTLETS BEING IN COMMUNICATION AT ONE END WITH THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SPACE; VORTICAL TUBE COOLING CELL MEANS MOUNTED COAXIALLY IN SAID CYLINDRICAL SPACE, SAID COOLING CELL MEANS CONNTAINING A CENTRAL ACTIVE CHAMBER IN COMMUNICATION AT EACH END WITH SAID OUTLETS, RESPECTIVELY, AND A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY RADIAL DUCTS COMMUNICATING AT OPPOSITE ENDS WITH SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER AND SAID CENTRAL ACTIVE CHAMBER, RESPEECTIVELY, EACH OF SAID DUCTS BEING OF A GENERALLY SPIRAL SHAPE OF THE LOGARITHMIC TYPE AND CONVERGING IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID CENTRAL ACTIVE CHAMBER; AND A SPARK PLUG MOUNTED INS AID BODY ADJACENT SAID INLET FOR HEATING THE GAS PRIOR TO ITS ENTRY INTO THE COOLING CELL DUCTS, WHEREBY HOT AND COLD FRACTIONS OF THE GAS ARE EVACUATED FROM THE BODY VIA SAID OUTLETS, RESPECTIVELY. 